Hong Kong Disallows Same-Sex Marriage At British Consulate

The British Consulate in Hong Kong has said that the Hong Kong Government has objected to same-sex marriages taking place on consular premises. The announcement comes after a new British law empowering consulates to marry British nationals in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is not available, so long as local authorities give permission.

The Consular Marriage and Marriages under Foreign Law Order 2014 came
into force on June 3, 2014, and permission has been granted by China, as
well as by Australia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Chile, China,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Japan,
Kosovo, Latvia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines,
Russia, San Marino, Serbia, and Vietnam. Under the law, only one of the partners has
to be a British national.

The British Consul-General in Hong, Caroline Wilson, told the media
through Twitter that she would be making further inquiries.

In March, a gay-rights advocacy group was created, called Double
Happiness, to push for consulates to provide same-sex marriage
services and for their recognition by the Hong Kong authorities. One
of the founding couples, a French woman named Betty Grisoni and a
Singoporean named Abbey Lee, were previously refused a marriage
service at the French consulate in Hong Kong after same-sex marriage was approved
in France.